Remote inspection device

ABSTRACT

The portable inspection unit may include a unit body, a flexible cable, and an imager housing. The flexible cable may extend from the unit body and the imager housing may be disposed at a distal end of the flexible cable. The portable inspection unit may be configured to receive an actuating accessory.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 61/750,799 filed Jan. 9, 2013, the content of which ishereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present disclosure relates generally to a portable inspection unitand more specifically to a portable inspection unit having a workchannel for interchangeable accessories.

BACKGROUND

Borescopes and video scopes for inspecting visually obscured locationsare typically tailored for particular applications. For instance, someborescopes have been tailored for use by plumbers to inspect pipes anddrains. Likewise, other types of borescopes have been tailored for useby mechanics to inspect interior compartments of machinery beingrepaired. Special features and functions associated with theseapplications have driven up the cost for these types of devices. Thisdisclosure provides for an improved borescope having the addedflexibility to improve functionality and maintain reduced cost. Thestatements in this section merely provide background information relatedto the present disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1, is a pictorial view of an implementation of a portableinspection unit in accordance with the disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a pictorial view of an implementation of a unit body of theportable inspection unit in accordance with the disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional profile view of the unit body of theportable inspection unit in accordance with the disclosure;

FIG. 4 is a partially transparent projected view of the unit body of theportable inspection unit in accordance with the disclosure;

FIG. 5 is a detailed assembly view of the trigger mechanism and driveassembly of the portable inspection unit in accordance with thedisclosure;

FIG. 6 is a pictorial view of the unit body focusing on the surfaceportion of the unit body of the portable inspection unit in accordancewith the disclosure;

FIG. 7 is a detailed cross-sectional view of the imager housing attachedto the flexible cable of the portable inspection unit in accordance withthe disclosure;

FIGS. 8 and 9 are detail pictorial views of the imager housing andflexible cable receiving an actuating device in the form of a grasper inaccordance with the disclosure;

FIGS. 10 and 11 are detail pictorial views of the imager housing andflexible cable receiving an accessory in the form of a fluid dispersiontube in accordance with the disclosure;

FIG. 12 is a partially transparent pictorial view focusing on the workchannel of the portable inspection unit in accordance with thedisclosure; and

FIG. 13 is a block diagram of operational components which may beutilized in the portable inspection unit in accordance with thedisclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to FIG. 1, an exemplary implementation of a portableinspection unit 100 is illustrated in accordance with the disclosure.The portable inspection unit 100 may generally comprise three primarycomponents: unit body 110, flexible cable 112 and an imager housing 114.The flexible cable 112 may extend from a distal end portion of the unitbody 110 to a proximal end portion of the imager housing and may furtherprovide for mechanical connection and electrical communication betweenthe imager housing 114 and the unit body 110. The portable inspectionunit disclosed herein provides for improved adaptability in a range ofapplications. As discussed in further detail throughout this disclosure,the portable inspection unit and its various components provide for anadaptable inspection tool that may be used for viewing and accessingobscured locations with various accessories.

The unit body may further comprise a surface portion having an accessport 116, a handle 118, and a trigger mechanism 120. The unit body mayprovide for an ergonomic design allowing for ease of access to thetrigger mechanism and single handed operation. In this implementation,the portable inspection unit may further comprise a grasper accessory(grasper) 122 extending from the distal end portion of the imagerhousing 114. The grasper may comprise a plurality of tines suitable forgrasping various objects that may be encountered during operation of theportable inspection unit. The grasper accessory may generally beincorporated in the inspection unit by passing through a work channelcomprising an elongated passageway extending from the unit body, throughthe flexible cable and passing through the imager housing. The graspermay further be configured to connect to the trigger mechanism of theunit body to engage actuation of the grasper. Though the grasperaccessory is demonstrated in this implementation, the work channel maybe configured to receive various accessories compatible with portableinspection unit.

Referring now to FIG. 2, the unit body 110 may further comprise adisplay housing 210 having an imager display, a user interface, and ahandle portion. The unit body may be configured to allow an operator tohold the handle 230 and engage the user interface or depress the triggermechanism through single handed operation. The unit body may furthercomprise a distal end portion which may include a distal flangeconfigured to removably attach to the flexible cable. The distal flange220 may comprise any mechanical attachment but may comprise a pluralityof threads forming a male connector. During operation, an operator mayhold the handle portion of the portable inspection unit and adjustsettings relating to images received on the imager display.

Referring now to FIG. 3, a cross-sectional profile view of the unit bodyas illustrated in conformance with the disclosure. The trigger mechanismmay define the engaging portion of a drive assembly. The drive assemblymay further comprise a drive unit 312, an actuating unit 314, and aplurality of gears 316. The drive unit 312 may be configured such thatupon engagement of the trigger mechanism, the drive unit 312 may bedrawn toward the handle 320, and the plurality of gears 316 may beengaged by a drive rack portion of the drive unit 312. Actuation of thedrive unit 312 may cause rotation in the plurality of gears 316 andfurther engage an actuating rack 310 of an actuating unit 314. Theactuating unit 314 comprises a proximal end portion and a distal endportion and may be arranged in the unit housing assembly such that thehe proximal end portion is significantly aligned with the port in thesurface portion of the unit body. The actuating unit extends from theproximal end portion along a sloped surface and extends toward thedistal flange of the unit body. The internal passageway comprising awork channel may be defined as the path from the port, extending alongthe actuating unit from the proximal end portion to the distal endportion and passing outward through the distal flange. The arrangementof the work channel in the disclosed device provides for a readilyaccessible passage through the unit body and into the flexible cable toimplement various accessories some of which are discussed in more detailbelow.

Referring now to FIG. 4, a partially transparent projected view of theunit body in conformance with the teachings of the disclosure isillustrated. The trigger mechanism may be actuated through a linearmotion denoted by the illustrated arrows 410. Though linear operation isimplemented in the instant implementation, other variations of thetrigger mechanism may include any form of motion including a rotarymotion may be applied to engage other implementations. The triggermechanism of this implementation may be configured such that if thetrigger mechanism is drawn toward a handle of the unit body, a spring420 may be compressed. Upon actuation of the trigger mechanism, thedrive gear may rotate due to its engagement with the driving rack.Rotation of the drive gear further may cause rotation in the actuatinggear which may further engage the actuating rack 310 of the actuatingunit and cause the actuating unit to translate along a bounded path toor from the distal and proximal portions of unit body.

The drive assembly may preferably be configured to cause translation ofthe actuating rack in the same direction as the drive unit. Thisconfiguration may provide the advantage of allowing the operator to havegreater control over the motion of the drive assembly and similarlyimproved control over any accessory attached to the actuation unit. Uponrelease of the trigger mechanism, the spring may return the drive unitto an extended position, and consequently, return the actuating unitdriven by the plurality of gears to an extended position.

The channel portion of the actuating unit may be clearly viewed in thisfigure, further illustrating the proximal end portion aligning with theport disposed on the surface of the unit body. Extending from theproximal end portion the longitudinally sloped channel 430 may furtherbe demonstrated in this implementation as providing a work channelproviding a smooth path extending from the proximal end to the distalend through the unit body. The distal flange of the unit body furthermay comprise the internal passageway passing through the flange disposedin the distal end portion of the unit body and significantly aligningwith the channel portion of the actuating unit. When an actuating deviceis connected to the actuation unit, movement in the actuating unit maycause the device to translate and extend in and out of the distal endportion of the unit body through the internal passageway.

Referring now to FIG. 5, a detailed assembly view of the triggermechanism is illustrated in conformance with the teachings of thedisclosure. Shown here in further detail, the drive unit of the triggermechanism may further comprise a pair of guide rails 510 running along alongitudinal axis of the drive unit on each side drive rack. The driverack may further be configured to slide along the guide rails parallelto the longitudinal axis of the drive unit. The drive unit may engage areduced spur gear 520 being interconnected to an enlarged spur gear 530,comprising a scaling drive gear. The scaling drive gear may engage anactuation gear 540 and the rotation caused among the plurality of gearsby the drive unit may further cause translation in the actuating rack ofthe actuating unit. The actuating unit may also comprise a pair of guiderails on either side being aligned with a longitudinal axis of theactuating rack. Shown here in further detail, the actuating unitcomprises the proximal end portion and a distal end portion having asloped channel originating near the proximal end portion, slopingdownward, and tangentially meeting the guide channel. At the proximalend portion of the sloped channel, a constraint groove may be disposedand configured to releasably attach a crimped feature of an actuatingaccessory. The scaling drive gear, the actuation gear, combined with thedrive rack and the actuating rack may further comprise a motion scalingassembly being configured to increase the output motion of the actuationunit relative to the input motion of the trigger and drive unit. Theratio of motion generated by the scaling drive gear between the input ordrive unit and the output or actuating unit may be greater than 1:1 andin some embodiments is greater than 1.5:1. Increasing the output motionof the actuating unit and consequently any actuating accessory mayprovide the benefit of reducing the motion of the operator in pullingthe trigger to achieve actuation in an attached accessory with lessinput motion. An output ratio greater than 1:1 may be useful in someindustrial applications where large objects require significant movementby the grasper

Referring now to FIG. 6, a pictorial view of the unit body focusing onthe surface portion is illustrated in conformance with the teachings ofthe disclosure. The port disposed in the surface portion may beconfigured to substantially aligned with the sloped channel of theactuating unit and allow access to a constraint groove 610 configuredfor releasably attached a crimped feature of the actuating accessory.However, other attachment means may be used, for example a loop and hookor ball and coupling, to secure the grasper to the actuation unit. Whendetached from the actuation unit, the grasper may be removed from theportable inspection device for example through the opening where theinternal passageway meets the distal end of the imager housing or theport on the outer surface portion of the unit body. The port on theouter surface portion of the unit body provides access to the grasper,or another actuating accessory to be received by the work channel. Oneconfiguration of the work channel in relation to the various componentsof the portable inspection unit is more clearly illustrated in FIG. 12.

The imager housing and imager display are further illustrated to providea reference of the view depicted. During operation of the inspectionunit the work channel 620, designated by the hidden lines shown, may beaccessible through the port even when the flexible cable is attached tothe inspection unit. The access port 116 may provide users with theability to change actuating accessories for use with the portableinspection unit without disconnecting any other components of theinspection unit including the flexible cable and the imager housing. Afurther benefit of this implementation may include the operator beingable to change between actuating accessories while the imager housingremains focused on an obscured location, for example if the imagerhousing and the flexible cable are disposed in a pipe, shaft, or otherarea that may be difficult to reach if changing the accessory requiredremoval of the imager housing or flexible cable.

Referring now to FIG. 7, a detailed cross-sectional view of the imagerhousing 114 attached to the flexible cable 112 is shown in conformancewith the teachings of the disclosed disclosure. The imager housing 114may comprise an internal passageway 710 configured to receive anactuating device. The internal passageway 710 may be significantlycentered along a longitudinal axis of the imager housing 114 and extendalong a longitudinal axis of the flexible cable 112. An imager unit mayfurther be disposed in the imager housing extending along an outerportion of the imager housing proximate to a distal end of the imagerhousing.

Opposite the imager unit, a lighting unit may further be disclosedwithin the imager housing and also extends along the longitudinal axisof the imager housing to the distal end. The lighting unit in thisimplementation is shown opposite the imager unit, but in otherimplementations the imager unit and light unit may be oriented invarious configurations about the imager housing, for example the imagerunit and lighting unit may be side-by-side or alternately spaced aboutthe longitudinal axis of the imager housing. A plurality of wires mayextend along the longitudinal axis of the flexible cable and into theinternal passageway of the imager housing. The wires may supply thelighting unit with power and provide electrical communication from anyelectronic device disposed proximate to the imager housing. The imagerunit may be configured to communicate or record images or video to thedisplay and memory that may be disposed in the unit body. The lightingunit may provide light in a working area around the distal end of theimager housing and illuminate the working area so that the imager maycapture images in darkened locations. A barb may form an angle with theleg of the tine which is greater than 80 degrees and in someimplementations greater than 100 degrees.

Referring now to FIGS. 8 and 9, the imager housing 114 and flexiblecable 112 are shown receiving an actuating device in the form of thegrasper 122. The grasper 122 shown may comprise a plurality of tines. Ina preferred implementation the grasper 122 comprises three tinesextending from the internal passageway 710 proximate to the distal endof the imager housing 114. The tines may further extend outward along asmooth curve and may also be evenly spaced radially about a longitudinalaxis of the imager housing. Each of the tines may further comprise atleast one barb proximate to a distal end portion. In someimplementations, each barb may comprise a single point, while in others,a plurality of raised ridges may be disposed at the distal end of eachtine to form a plurality of barbs.

At a proximal end portion, each of the tines may merge together to forma single draw wire portion. The draw wire may be disposed in theinternal passageway passing through the imager housing and the length ofthe flexible cable into the unit body. Once inside the unit body, thedraw wire may extend along the channel portion of the actuating unit tothe distal end where it may be constrained or attached to a constraintgroove at the proximal end of the sloped channel. Upon actuation of thedrive assembly, the draw wire may be pulled into the unit body by theactuating unit. Resulting from the motion of the actuating unit, thedraw wire may retract the tines into the imager housing further causingthe distal end portions of the tines comprising the barbs to diverge.Through this motion, an object near the distal end portion may beengaged and held by the tines of the grasper. This functionality mayallow for the removal of various objects that may be viewed be theimager unit in locations otherwise obscured from view. In some cases analternate grasping unit may also be used for placement of objects inconfined areas or areas obscured from view.

To ensure that a variety of objects may be engaged by with the grasperare the plurality of tines may be evenly spaced and diverge outwardradially in a smoothed curved path or may be configured for otherapplications requiring other spacing. In other implementations the tinesmay be magnetized to allow for the capture of ferromagnetic materials.

Referring to FIGS. 10 and 11, the imager housing 114 and flexible cable112 are shown receiving an actuating device in the form of a fluiddispersion tube 1010. The fluid dispersion tube 1010 may be utilized asanother form of accessory that may be received in the internalpassageway 710 passing through the portable inspection device. Similarto the grasper, the fluid dispersion tube 1010 may pass through the unitbody, being guided by the work channel, and through the internalpassageway 710 passing through the flexible cable 112 and the imagerhousing 114. The fluid dispersion tube 1010 may provide the portableinspection unit with the capability to deliver fluids or gasses from adistal end portion of the fluid dispersion tube accessible near the portof the unit body to a distal end of the fluid dispersion tube extendingthrough the internal passageway of the imager housing through the distalopening.

The fluid dispersion tube 1010 may provide the capability to delivermany fluids or gasses, and in some implementations may be compatiblewith many standard aerosol canisters. Some of the product that may bedelivered by the fluid dispersion tube include automotive lubricants,pesticides, industrial chemicals, household products and cleaners, etc.The fluid dispersion tube generally may be composed of a semi-flexibleresilient material that is resilient to fatigue and wear, but in someapplications specialized materials may be required to ensure capabilitywith chemicals that may be caustic, acidic, etc.

Referring to FIG. 12, a partially transparent pictorial view of theportable inspection unit is illustrated. The fluid dispersion tube 1010may clearly be seen in this view having a proximal end portion extendingfrom the port of the unit body 110 to the distal end of the imagerhousing 114. This view also may further emphasize the path of the workchannel 620 passing through the unit body 110 and extending through theflexible cable 112 and the imager housing. The work channel 620 providesfor a path for an actuating device similar to the grasper and any otheraccessory that may be commonly used for fluid delivery, cleaning,scraping, polishing etc. The work channel may be configured to allowoperators to accessories such as the grasper or the fluid dispersiontube from either the proximal, unit body end or the distal imagerhousing end of the portable inspection device. The work channel may beconstructed of PTFE (Teflon™) or implementations, other materials may besuitable. The ease of interchangeability among the various accessoriesthat may be received by the work channel provides for a flexible, yetcost effective design allowing for the portable inspection unit to besuited to a wide variety of applications.

Referring to FIG. 13, a schematic of an implementation of electronicaspects that may be utilized in the portable inspection unit is shown.The power switch 75 may be interposed between the power source 76 andthe remaining operational components. When actuated by an operator to anON position, power may be supplied from the power source 76 to theinterface board 74. The interface board 74 in turn may power the displaydevice 73 and the imaging unit 22. In the one implementation, the powerswitch 75 may further be operable to control the intensity of thelighting unit which may comprise LEDs. To do so, power may also suppliedto an LED interface board 91. The LED interface board 91 may in turnsend a control signal to the LEDs based on the setting of the powerswitch 75. The operator may adjust the illumination of the viewing area,thereby improving the quality of the acquired images from the imagingunit. Alternative embodiments of the inspection device may employ otheruser actuated controls. For example, the portable inspection unit mayinclude controls for the contrast of the display device, on-screendisplay or for a zoom function of the imaging device.

Once powered on, the imager unit may 22 begin capturing images andtransmitting the image data as a video signal to a video decoder 92residing on the interface board 74. The video decoder 92 decodes thevideo signal and passes it through another interface to the displaydevice 73. The display device 73 is then operable to display the videoimages to the operator.

As a person skilled in the art will readily appreciate, the abovedescription is meant as an illustration of the principles of thisdisclosure. This description is not intended to limit the scope orapplication of this disclosure in that the disclosure is susceptible tomodification, variation and change, without departing from spirit ofthis disclosure, as defined in the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A portable inspection unit comprising: a unitbody; a flexible cable having a proximal end portion and a distal endportion, the proximal end portion extending from the unit body; animager housing disposed at the distal end of the flexible cable; a portdisposed in a top surface portion of the unit body; a grasper extendingfrom a distal end portion of the imager housing; and a trigger mechanismconfigured to extend and retract the grasper, wherein the triggermechanism is configured to releasably attach to the grasper at alocation accessible through the port allowing insertion and removal ofthe grasper though the port with respect to the unit body.
 2. Theportable inspection unit of claim 1, wherein the grasper comprises aplurality of tines.
 3. The portable inspection unit of claim 2, furthercomprising a barb disposed proximate to a distal end of each of thetines.
 4. The portable inspection unit of claim 3, wherein the barbscomprise a plurality of raised ridges.
 5. The portable inspection unitof claim 2, wherein the tines are evenly spaced radially about alongitudinal axis of the imager housing.
 6. The portable inspection unitof claim 1, wherein the each of the tines diverges outward radially inrelation to a longitudinal axis of the imager housing from a proximalend portion to a distal end portion.
 7. The portable inspection unit ofclaim 6, wherein each of the tines diverges outward in a curved path. 8.A portable inspection unit comprising: a unit body; a flexible cablehaving a proximal end portion and a distal end portion, the proximal endportion extending from the unit body; an imager housing disposed at thedistal end of the flexible cable; a port disposed in a portion of theunit body; a grasper comprising a draw wire and a plurality of tines;and a trigger mechanism configured to extend and retract the grasper,wherein the trigger mechanism is configured to releasably attach to thedraw wire at a location accessible through the port allowing insertionand removal of the grasper with respect to the unit body.
 9. Theportable inspection unit of claim 8, wherein a drive unit of the triggermechanism comprises an actuating unit having a constraint grooveconfigured to releasably attach the drive unit to the grasper.
 10. Theportable inspection unit of claim 9, wherein the constraint groove isconfigured to releasably attach to a crimped feature.
 11. The portableinspection unit of claim 8, wherein the trigger mechanism comprises anactuating unit having a proximal end portion and a distal end portion,and a sloped channel extending outward from a top surface.
 12. Aportable inspection unit comprising: a unit body; a flexible cablehaving a proximal end portion and a distal end portion, the proximal endportion extending from the unit body; an imager housing disposed at thedistal end of the flexible cable; a port disposed in a top surfaceportion of the unit body; a grasper comprising a draw wire and aplurality of tines; and a translational motion assembly comprising adrive unit and an actuating unit, form part of a scaling device beingconfigured to cause greater output motion in the actuating unit thaninput to the driving unit, thereby driving the grasper out of the imagerhousing by a larger distance than a displacement of the drive unit. 13.The portable inspection unit of claim 12, wherein the ratio of an outputmotion to an input motion of the scaling device is greater than 1.5:1.14. The portable inspection unit of claim 12, wherein the drive unitcomprises a drive rack, the actuating unit comprises an actuating rack,and further comprising a plurality of gears configured to engage thedriving rack and the actuating rack.
 15. The portable inspection unit ofclaim 14, wherein the scaling device is configured to cause translationin the actuating rack in the same direction as the driving rack.
 16. Theportable inspection unit of claim 14, wherein the plurality of gearscomprises dual spur gears.
 17. The portable inspection unit of claim 12,further comprising a spring extending from the unit body to the driveunit, configured to extend the drive unit away from the unit body in aresting state.
 18. A portable inspection unit comprising: a unit body; aflexible cable having a proximal end portion and a distal end portion,the proximal end portion extending from the unit body; an imager housingdisposed at the distal end of the flexible cable; and a port disposed ina top surface portion of the unit body; a grasper extending from adistal end portion of the imager housing; and a trigger mechanismconfigured to extend and retract the grasper, wherein the triggermechanism is aligned with the port and configured to releasably attachto the grasper at a location accessible through the port allowinginsertion of the grasper though the port to the distal end of theflexible cable.
 19. The portable inspection unit of claim 18, wherein aninternal passage extends through the port, into the unit body, throughthe flexible cable and imager housing, and outward proximate to a distalend portion of the imager housing.
 20. The portable inspection unit ofclaim 18, wherein the internal passageway is also configured to receivean actuating device.